Daoist Baishan smoothed his sleeve, his gaze filled with a hint of reminiscence.
Come to think of it.
Over the many years of reincarnation, most of the time had been spent in a foggy haze. After regaining clarity and consciousness, nearly all his energy was devoted to comprehending the Martial Path. As for those old friends, he had only heard of them occasionally, and meetings were extremely rare.
He wondered how many of those old friends were still alive today, silently sighing in his heart.
Hearing Daoist Baishan's words, the three were secretly shocked.
Old friends?
Anyone Daoist Baishan called an old friend must be a peer of the same level.
They shuddered inwardly, and connecting this with Daoist Baishan's earlier statement that he would no longer reincarnate, they vaguely sensed that a major event was about to occur, one that might change the very structure of the world.
"I have already sent out invitation letters to many friendly sects. At that time, many Daoist sects from Daozhou will send people to attend," Daoist Baiye quickly said.
Daoist Baishan nodded slowly, then suddenly asked,
"Did the Zhenwu Sect send out invitation letters?"
"As per your instructions, Longshan Daoist and his nine disciples, including Ning Qi, were invited."
The three looked on with curiosity. Inviting Daoist Longshan was normal—after all, when Daoist Longshan hosted the Heaven-Man Ascension Ceremony before, Daoist Baihe had personally gone to support him. But why was there such insistence on inviting Ning Qi, the ninth disciple of Daoist Longshan?
Could it be that this person had some special quality that made the True Lord see him differently?
Daoist Baihe pondered.
He recalled an old incident from years ago.
That was when Daoist Longshan had stepped into the Heaven-Man Realm and ordered someone to send scriptures to Zhenwu Mountain. Daoist Baishan had also gone there, staying for many days. Later, when Disciple Ye returned and spoke of the stay, he mentioned that Daoist Baishan had persistently bothered Ning Qi. At that time, Daoist Baihe was amused and baffled, thinking his senior brother was just fooling around.
But now, it seemed there might be something deeper.
"Senior Brother, does that kid named Ning Qi really have something special?" Daoist Baihe couldn't help but ask, maintaining respect but also gradually seeing more traces of the unruly senior brother he once knew in Daoist Baishan.
He wondered if his senior brother, the True Lord, really intended to take Ning Qi as a disciple, since he had heard that his senior brother favored Ning Qi greatly and even offered many conditions to lure him away.
Daoist Baishan chuckled:
"That kid is no ordinary person. Three years ago, when I ascended Zhenwu Mountain, my dormant wisdom had not yet awakened. I only instinctively felt he was extraordinary. But looking back now, tsk tsk, he truly is a prodigy that shakes the world!"
An undisguised look of admiration appeared on his face, piquing the curiosity of the three True Lords.
"If I'm not mistaken, his bone age was only eight years old then. Guess what cultivation level he had at that time?"
Daoist Baixiang tried tentatively:
"Perfect Physical Tempering?"
Normally, an eight-year-old child would just be starting their Martial Path. Even if their bone foundation formed early, it would only be two or three years at most. To reach Perfect Physical Tempering in such a short time would already be an incredible prodigy. If it weren't for the True Lord's emphasis on this youth, he wouldn't even have guessed this.
The other two shared similar thoughts, thinking it was either Perfect Physical Tempering or at most the early stage of the Inner Origin Realm.
Daoist Baishan didn't withhold the answer but stated lightly:
"White Mist Realm."
As the words fell, the three True Lords all trembled, almost thinking they had heard wrong.
"True Lord, is this really true?" Daoist Baixiang breathed calmly.
Eight years old, White Mist Realm?
This was more than just a prodigy, wasn't it?
Daoist Baishan smirked mysteriously:
"Do you think I would lie to you?"
The three exchanged glances, still feeling somewhat surreal. What were they doing when they were eight years old? How could there be such a prodigy in the world?
Daoist Baihe couldn't help but ask,
"Senior Brother, could this be like you...?"
Daoist Baishan shook his head:
"No, he is not a reincarnated soul."
Then he frowned:
"But... it's hard to say. Back then, each of our old fellows used various means. No one knows which were effective. Some were lost in the river of time, while some miraculously survived. Perhaps some kind of mutation will occur."
"So... you want to invite this Daoist friend Ning Qi to come see if he might be one of those old fellows?" Daoist Baiye asked.
Daoist Baishan waved his hand:
"Whether yes or no, it's not that important. The old Daoist just finds this kid interesting. If he's not one of those old fellows, then he truly was born in the wrong era."
There was a sense of regret in his words.
The three True Lords all tensed, knowing exactly what Daoist Baishan meant.
The Martial Sage Realm!
They also yearned for it but dared not think too much. It was a forbidden topic. The True Lord never explained it much, keeping it shrouded in mystery. The only clue they could infer was that the Martial Sage Realm was nearly impossible to reach.
This filled them with both regret and fear.
At this point, Daoist Baishan clearly seemed somewhat disheartened.
"Tell the kid Ning Qi that I personally invite him to attend the ceremony. He must come. At that time, I will take him to plunder the scriptures of other sects," he said with a renewed smile, causing the three True Lords to smile bitterly.
This True Lord really acted without any restrictions.
However, with his status, he could be called the head of the Daoist world. If he revealed his identity, even the top sect of the world, the Yin-Yang Sect, would not dare refuse.
The three quietly withdrew, beginning to prepare for the upcoming Heaven-Man Ascension Ceremony with full effort.
From Daoist Baishan's earlier words, it was easy to guess that it was acceptable to make the ceremony more grand. Since that was the case, the three would not miss this opportunity to strengthen the prestige of the Zhenxuan Sect.
In the past, every reincarnation of the Zhenxuan Dao Lord had been very low-key. Since this was the last time, there was no need to be low-profile anymore.
Daoist Baishan watched the three leave, gradually withdrawing his gaze.
He looked up at the heavens, his emotions complicated.
"Where is the path?"
...
News of Daoist Baishan's upcoming Heaven-Man Ascension Ceremony spread at an astonishing speed to the surroundings. Coupled with the invitations sent months ago to friendly forces, it attracted many eyes. The usually low-key Zhenxuan Sect was unusually high-profile this time.
This made Daozhou gradually lively, with many forces sending powerful experts.
Zhenwu Mountain.
Luo Wentian also received an invitation letter.
"Master, Xiao Jiu, this Daoist Baishan has specially invited both of you to his Heaven-Man Ascension Ceremony."
Surprise showed in his eyes. This was the second time. Daoist Baishan seemed especially fond of Ning Qi.
It was normal for his master, a Heaven-Man Realm expert, to be specially invited. After all, the ceremony needed other strong cultivators for support. But inviting Ning Qi repeatedly was odd, since Ning Qi was officially just an unknown disciple of Daoist Longshan.
"Master, could it be that he has already discovered Xiao Jiu's true strength?"
Daoist Longshan frowned slightly:
"Probably not. Daoist Baishan was definitely at the Origin Core Realm when he ascended the mountain. With his strength, it's impossible to see through Xiao Jiu's power. Xiao Jiu has never contacted him since. Maybe he just has high hopes for Xiao Jiu."
He smiled slightly.
He knew the amusing story of Daoist Baishan tricking Ning Qi to go to the Zhenxuan Sect three years ago, but with his broad-mindedness, he didn't care.
"There's still a month left. Going there isn't a problem. Xiao Jiu, what do you think?" Daoist Longshan asked.
Ning Qi thought for a moment, then nodded:
"Let's go."
His cultivation was stuck with no room for improvement. The only thing left was to study the Martial Sage power inside the Yu King Bead and see if he could find a solution. He originally planned to travel after Qin Yun woke up. Although Qin Yun was still unconscious, attending the Heaven-Man Ascension Ceremony first was not a problem.
More importantly, the matter Daoist Baishan mentioned in his letter was quite intriguing.
"Of course, plundering other sects is a joke, but... it's still a way to think. If I could see many secret scriptures, maybe I could get some information about changes in the power of heaven and earth, or even find inspiration for a solution."
"With Daoist Baishan leading, it's better than me blindly showing up."
Ning Qi was unfamiliar with the situation in Daozhou.
Now was a good opportunity to have a look.
Seeing Ning Qi agree so decisively, Daoist Longshan and Luo Wentian were a bit surprised. Ning Qi usually avoided going down the mountain unless necessary. The last two times he went down were to deal with enemies. This time, it seemed his calm had stirred.
Ning Qi smiled:
"Let me know when we set off."
He glanced again at Qin Yun.
The fluctuations within Qin Yun's body had become steadier, with awakening day approaching. All the senior brothers eagerly awaited that day.
"Hopefully, the eighth senior brother will have safely awakened when we return to Daozhou," Ning Qi thought silently.
...
Time passed.
Half a month later.
The Zhenwu Sect's group for the ceremony departed.
Besides Daoist Longshan and Ning Qi, Zhuang Chen and Li Ling were also included, joining to broaden their experience. Additionally, some inner and outer disciples, carrying carefully prepared congratulatory gifts, went along.
If it were only Ning Qi and Daoist Longshan, the speed would have been very fast. With so many people now, it was slower.
But Ning Qi didn't mind.
He rarely had such opportunities and could enjoy the scenery along the way.
However, the young Daoist who spent the journey with his head bowed reading scriptures in the carriage became a scenic sight himself.
Ning Qi pondered the changes in the power of heaven and earth:
"From the information gathered so far, it seems the power of heaven and earth might be mixed with some impurities, which caused the silver giant ape's tragic fate. If that's the case, could removing these impurities restore the purity of the power of heaven and earth, allowing it to be safely absorbed and break into the Martial Sage Realm?"
"Three Blossoms Converge already has some 'filtering' effect when absorbing the power of heaven and earth, but it's not enough. Can it be strengthened further?"
This had been a frequent topic of Ning Qi's recent thoughts.
He gained inspiration from the Yu King Bead.
At first, the Demonic Sect's Grand Elder had used the bloodline of the descendants of the Great Yu as a guide to refine Martial Sage power. Later, Ning Qi himself experimented, directly using the Three Blossoms Converge method through the Yu King Bead to condense a new Martial Sage power.
There was a clear difference between the two Martial Sage powers.
This instantly made Ning Qi realize that impurities could mix into both the power of heaven and earth and Martial Sage power.
He also recalled the image deep within the White Ape's bloodline.
At the beginning, the silver giant ape was awe-inspiring, but suddenly it turned tragic. Perhaps impurities in the power of heaven and earth were the cause.
The more he thought about it, the more reasonable this speculation seemed.
But it was still just speculation without confirmation.
"The best way is to verify, to practice, using myself as the experiment. I should get conclusions quickly and maybe even deduce a solution."
"Unfortunately, I dare not."
Ning Qi valued his life greatly.
He was far from desperate and didn't want to take such a risky gamble.
He couldn't determine what consequences absorbing the power of heaven and earth might have. If it affected his future path, he would regret it forever. Therefore, until he understood the truth, he would not absorb even the slightest bit of the power of heaven and earth.
"Then... use someone else as the experiment? Though the effect wouldn't be as good as on myself, it's safer. But the experimental target is hard to find. It must be strong enough and capable of absorbing the power of heaven and earth."
"The best choice is naturally an enemy. No burden in using them, and if they die, it's fine. But the problem is, I can't find anyone. Probably only the Demonic Sect's Grand Elder qualifies."
Ning Qi thought.
A figure suddenly flashed through his mind.
Blade Demon.
"If I used him for the experiment, maybe it would work?" Ning Qi's eyes lit up.
However,
He was not a selfish person. Since he had promised Blade Demon about the Martial Sage method, he would not break his word.
"If Blade Demon really cooperates, I must explain all the risks to him and not hide anything. If he agrees, that's great. If not, I can't force him," Ning Qi thought. Perhaps after returning to Zhenwu Mountain this time, he could talk to Blade Demon about it.
Countless thoughts swirled.
Ning Qi let out a long breath.
This was one possible plan, but it wasn't guaranteed to succeed.
Even if Blade Demon agreed, Ning Qi had to minimize the risk. Besides everything else, he admired Blade Demon's willpower in martial arts—he was a pure pursuer of the Dao.
At this moment, Zhuang Chen's chubby face approached. He first glanced at the scripture in Ning Qi's hand, secretly gasped, then laughed:
"Senior Brother Jiu, we're almost at Zhenxuan Mountain, and you're still holding your scripture reading. Along the way, I feel like you're no different from being in the Seeking Dao Courtyard. You just look at the scenery and never go out to explore. What a pity!"
Everyone nearby smiled.
Ning Qi shook his head with a smile and looked into the distance, where a strange mountain shrouded in clouds and mist was faintly visible.
Zhenxuan Mountain, we've arrived!